The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-19
THE MAN NAMED.
GEn. JAsTREMSM RESPONDS TO A RE-
FORM CHALLENGE.
He Gives to the Public an Interesting
Conversation with Keformer N. @.
Blanchard, and Furnishes q Mass of
Corr0boratins Testimony.

Corroborating Testimony.
The Shreveport Democrat of the 9Th in
slant contained the following paragraph,
which would have received earlier attention.
but for the fact that that paper ls not sent to
the Capftolfd9a-A dDocute:
1.-THE Governor of the State of Louisiana,
in his speech in this city. on Th,lrsday last.
gave currency to the report that q 'pronli-
nent leader in Caddo d had said th a. the anti l.
Caddo, it they had to do it with the
negroes Common rumor attributes this
remark to Hon. N. c, Blanchard. We are
authorized bv this gentleman to say that any
snch statement Is unquallfiedly false. He
never uttered such sent ments i'll his life.
Other prominent leaders in this parish ALL
thorlze rs to bTand, tn report in the same
way. VIII his Excellency please name the
man."
In the published account of the Governors
Shreveport speech nT9eferenee to Caddo or
any prominent leader in Caddo appears.
He is, however, set down as follows:
But all Of these campaigners arc not Of
this way of thinking. One of the most dis
tinguished among them. at least, counted the
number OF stalwart Democrats at q greater
number, when he. as early as june, 1855,
stated to Gen. Jastremski that Nichols would
be the candidate of the opposition and that
Shey would defeat the State administration If
btSy 1IAI w uBb luE ucsLOSH 1OE tIlAt paI pune
Now, as the publication in the Shreveport
Democrat places the Governor in the attitude
of having made an assertion which, 80 far as
it relates to Caddo. is pronounced to be false,
in justice to him I deem it my duty to make
public tho following facts relating to this
subject matter:
On April 8, 1885, I WEE o participant in
the excursion to the Jetties given the dele
gates to the Western Waterways Convention
aboard the steamer Ed. Richardson. Mr..
Blanchard was of the number. and in my
capacity IS chairman of the Democratic State
Central Committee, I had with him al inter-
view about the existing political situation.
As well as / can now recollect, l expressed
regret at the Ptdynae'S representations that
he, with Senator Gibson and three other
Congressman, were acting in concert under
the appellation of
reform DEMOCRATS"
in the matter of the federal appointments,
and that they had Jointly recommended the
appointment of men kho had taken 1 promi-
nent part in the Hight Independent move
ment. I also complt ned that, contrary to
established usage, the Governor of the State
and the chairman of the State Committee
had been given no voice in the recommends
tlons for Federal appointments, but instead,
that by their silence, these Congressional
representatives had countenanced the Wash
ington specials to the Picusat7ae, procIaiming
to the country that the party organization
and the State administration were controlled
by q ring of corrupt politicians. / urged
that it was high time to put an end to the
divisions existing in the party in Louisiana,
and that the people ought to be given &
respite from the political turmoil which had
been SO detrimental to the material progress
of the State. ] closed with the suggestion
that the Federal appointments should be
made equally from the contepding factions.
These suggestig4s seemed only to excite
the ire OF Mr. B~lanehard. who, after giving
vent to limit merable compiaiSts against ''the
ring" asserted emphatiralIy that certain
parties he named would be appointed to this
and ths& position by the President, and thai
FTd6eisA NfehpS B teoutd be the neTt Gogej1to7'
Of this State, Seize negro cote had to be used TO
do a.. I So Vested that a division in the
Democrat party, which l construed his
threat to mean, would involve the people in
a contest similar to the one that Malone had
precipitated upon Virginia, and that every
Democrat holding the happiness OF the peo-
pie IS o consideration paramount to his po-
htical elevation would surely do everything
in Lis power to avert such q calamity.
After a lengthy discussion OF these matters,
he asked il L had any propositions to make,
to which | replied that [ had none, but, az
chairman of the Democratic State Commit
tee, that | would urge HIM 20 use his in
tfuence with his colleagues at Washington in
behalf of q policy of paciication, and to
avert any disruption of the Democratic party
in Louisiana.
left him under the impression that
AwAR TO H KNIFE
had been planned at Washington against the
State administration and Its supporters, aud,
accordingly, the next day [ warned Senator
Lustis, b. letter, OF the state Of affairs that
Mr.. Blanchard's u.terances had disclosed,
and which | construed to mean that the
leaders of the self-styled Reform Democ-
racy' had resolved to secure as much OF the
Federal patronage Gs they corld obtain to
strengthen sheir power IN the State, and re-
lying upon the popularity of Gen. Nichols
for additional strength. to form a political
to insure the total capture Of the State by
them in 1855.
L have made no secret of this conversation,
and have been under the impression ever |
since that my version of it had frequently |
reached the knowledge of Mr.. Blanchard.
My RECOLLECTION OF this conversation was
reduced to writing the very next day, in the
letter to Senator Eustis, and unless MIR.
blanchard took o note of it in the same man.
ner his present recollections would scarcely
Justify him in questioning the accuracy of
mine. 1
But if he persisted in claiming that I had
~misconstrued his remarks. he would still be
confronted by a chain of circumstances and
occurrences that are of public notoriety, |
fEIlASlLR dlliIObh pplub ny pGiuh lily NSEhADn l
of that conversation, and which he would
find exceedingly troublesome to explain.
These ciTcamsyan noes are as follows:
As early as March, 1885, the Picdgmne had
King, IIion, Gay and Blanchard as the ''re-
form delegation" at Washington, and the
Cap'totfdn- AdUoeGte, of April 4. said edi-
Il good can result to the Democracy and
TO the State from the classification or forma-
ton of our congressional delegation into
wsfring groups, and our Senators and Repre-
sentatlyes, instead. of giving sanction by
their silence, should be first to frown down
SUCH a oGH ami such a distinction"
The PicGgase, of April 81, 1885, contained |
the following significant special from Wash-
.'WAsHTNeToN, April aa5.-Mr. Matthew
OBrien, of New Orleans, has been to-day ap-
pointed supervising inspector OF the tenth
district. MIR. Henry 2. kernochan's appoint
ment was signed yesterday by the President. |
1T has been enormously stated that the
appoIntiaent was made by the influence of
the LoriiiArds. This is an Idle statement.
hERNoeHAN was warmly supported by
Senator Gibson and by four out OF the five
Democratic members from Louisiana, and
also bg the ,eadefssof. the REFORM Denacracg !
e I6uts!gno, and this influence, added to
the PresIdent's desire to get a good man,
tuuy accounts Tor the appointment.
Tn politics, Mr.. O'BEIEN Is an independent
Denaqcldts n supported HuE. Carleton
HUNT for Congress at the last election"
Protesting against the division of the Lou
is1ana Democracy into factions and against
independentism, the Capitottan-A duocate OF
April so, 1885, said:
Here, lndependentism leads to the de-
structionof .he only baFrier-the Democratic
p~arty-that can be opposed to the mongreIi-
cation OF society.
Divide our Intelligent people into war
ring factions and you %inaugurate at once a
contest for the votes Of the ignorant blacks |
his means the purchase of votes at public |
auction, around the polls, indiscrifninate
h~obnobbing, at the groggeries, and the fos-
idleness.a
In 9 letter to President Cleveland. dated
May IS, 1855, I said:
III is my opinion. Mr. President hat If |